


This Day, Not You, Bound to Go Away

by babs



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Permanent Injury, i've-just-been-in-the-mood-to-be-really-mean-to-SG1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 19:59:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8298613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babs/pseuds/babs
Summary: After a horrific mission that leaves SG-1 injured in more ways than one, Jack attempts to bring Daniel back from the precipice.





	

"How is he?" Jack asked Doctor Mackenzie.

"I'm sorry to say there's been no change," Mackenzie said. "Maybe your visit..." Mackenzie's voice trailed off. "The powers that be are starting to suggest that Doctor Jackson be moved to a more permanent facility."

"And..." Jack asked.

"We'll do our best to hold them off as long as we can. If there's the slightest sign of improvement, I can argue that he continue to be treated here."

Jack heard the warning and the sorrow. "Is Fraiser here?"

"In her office," Mackenzie said. There was a rustling as the psychiatrist shuffled some papers. "I have an appointment I need to get to."

Jack nodded. "Thanks for the intel."

He followed the familiar path to Fraiser's office in the Academy Hospital and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Fraiser called and Jack opened the door.

"Mackenzie told me," Jack said, not wasting time with any pleasantries.

"Sit down, Colonel," Fraiser said and placed his hand on the back of a chair.

"Not Colonel," Jack said even as he sat. "Not any longer."

"Old habits," she said and he could picture her smile. 

"What are we gonna do, Doc?" Jack said. He didn't want to waste time on chit-chat. Not now. Not when bigger powers than him were threatening to lock Daniel away.

There was silence and then Fraiser was closer, a gentle hand laid on his shoulder. "We'll do everything we can to keep Daniel here."

"But...there's a but in there," Jack said.

"It's been five months, Jack," Fraiser said, finally using his first name, friend to friend he thought. "Five months since SG-1 came back from Tellera, and two months since Daniel's breakdown."

"He thinks he's responsible," Jack said, gesturing at his face. "For my blindness, for the loss of Carter's leg."

"We can't be sure of that," Fraiser said.

"*I* am sure," Jack told her. "He's the one who tried to reason with our captors, the one who witnessed the executions of SG-14, the one who watched Carter and I being tortured. I think Daniel suffered more than Carter and I." There was more to it, Jack knew—times Daniel had been taken from them, times Daniel came back trembling and silent. "Is it any wonder he's retreated within himself?"

"Jack, you need to understand. We're not reaching him. *You* aren't reaching him."

"He's in there, Doc. I know he is. Daniel's the strongest person I know." Jack leaned forward, needing, wanting Fraiser to hear him, to believe him.

Fraiser sighed. "I don't want Daniel to be taken any more than you do. But..."

"No buts," Jack said. "Please, Janet. You know if he gets warehoused away from all of us there's no hope of recovery at all." And Jack knew, there were people higher up who would be quite happy to be well rid of Doctor Daniel Jackson.

"I'll do what I can," Fraiser said. She placed her hand over Jack's. "I can call in some favors."

"Thanks," Jack said and squeezed her hand. 

* * * * 

"Sir!"

Jack stopped at Carter's familiar voice. 

"Carter," he acknowledged. "What are you doing here today?"

He heard her shift her weight. 

"I had a fitting for my prosthesis," she said. 

"Samantha Carter also had physical therapy," Teal'c added.

So there was that, Jack thought. Teal'c had been Carter's unwavering support through the recovery after her multiple surgeries and now therapy.

"Good," he said. 

"Have you seen..." Jack could easily visualize Carter's cringe, "visited Daniel today?"

Jack tapped his dark glasses and then his cane. "Going through the rest of my life without ever hearing the word see again is gonna be pretty much impossible, Carter." He smiled in her general direction. "And I'm on my way to see him now."

"Tell him," Carter swallowed once, twice. "Tell him we miss him."

"I will."

He stood a bit longer, listened to the retreating tap of Carter's crutches on the floor before he made his way down a hall he had memorized weeks ago.

"Hey," Jack said as he entered Daniel's room, not surprised when there was no response. He made his way to the bed, reached out questing fingers only to come up empty. He listened and heard the soft sound of breathing from the chair he knew was by the window—the barred window. 

"Hey Daniel." He pulled a chair closer, sat down, and rested his hands on Daniel's knees. "How you doing today?"

He sat, waited, and when there was no response moved his hands higher, over Daniel's tightly clasped fists. The bones under his fingers felt fragile.

"Carter and Teal'c say hi," Jack continued. "They miss...I miss you."

He moved a hand away, felt Daniel's fists tighten under his touch and cupped Daniel's oh so thin cheek. Daniel leaned into the touch—something he hadn't done since the breakdown.

"I miss you," Jack said again, his throat tight. "You've always been there for me—were there in those first months of me adjusting to this."

Daniel's left fist unclenched slightly and opened to Jack's touch. 

"They want to send you away," Jack continued. "Doc and Mackenzie and all of us who love you aren't letting it happen without a fight."

Daniel made a small noise, barely there, and Jack wasn't sure if he'd heard it or it was just wishful thinking.

"You matter—more than you know. More than you've ever given yourself credit."

Jack shifted and he felt Daniel lean with him, forward, closer to Jack. Daniel's warm breath ghosted against his neck, and Jack pressed his hand against Daniel's nape. 

"Danny," Jack whispered. "I have you. I'm not gonna let you fall."

He waited, his breathing getting in sync with Daniel's just as it had for years in tents on off-world missions. He stroked Daniel's back, much the way he'd done with Charlie after a nightmare. He wasn't sure it made all that much of a difference. But maybe. He felt the tight muscles, on high alert, begin to loosen, heard breath begin to deepen and then, Daniel moved his hands up to Jack's neck, Jack's hair and turned his face into Jack's shoulder. His t-shirt grew damp. Jack hung on and heard the first faint sob.

He hung on as the sobs grew louder, turned to cries of pain and anger and loss and hurt and fear, and still Jack hung on. He became aware of a low litany of Daniel's experience—words of horror, despicable acts, and degradation. His own eyes burned and still he hung on even as Daniel's words slowed, as the tears stopped, and Daniel's grip loosened with exhaustion. 

'I've got you," Jack murmured. "It's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay." He had to believe that, had to believe that Daniel could, would come back from this now that the first words had been spoken, the dam had been breached. "I'm here. I'll always be here."

* * * *

"Sam," Daniel's voice was bright as he greeted their friend. "Teal'c. Congratulations."

"Thank you, DanielJackson."

Huh, Jack thought. Teal'c already sounded exhausted and he and Sam hadn't even taken their daughter home from the hospital yet. Just wait, Jack thought, remembering those first weeks and months of fatherhood. Those thoughts however were better kept to one's self when a new baby was welcomed into the world.

"You look beautiful, Sam," Daniel was saying. "And..." Daniel stopped abruptly and his voice dropped lower. "She's...she's so little."

"She weighs nine pounds, Daniel," Sam said. "Hardly little. You're doing just fine."

"Babies normally are," Jack said. 

"Here," Daniel said. He moved closer to Jack. "Um, you wanna hold her?"

Jack sighed and felt the warm weight of his former teammates' one day old daughter in his arms. "She's not *that* little, Daniel."

"Yeah, okay," Daniel said. He sounded a bit overwhelmed. "Maybe I'll try again in about a year or two."

Carter laughed tiredly. "I hope you'll reconsider before then."

Jack swayed with the baby in his arms, unconscious movement from years past. He heard her making little sucking noises and smelled the scent that only newborns had. He shifted her weight and brought up a hand to gently brush fingers over her face, her hair. She was beautiful, he thought as he touched downy hair, soft as a feather skin. She pursed her lips as his fingers touched her mouth. No, he thought, you want your mama for that. 

"So, nine pounds, nineteen inches according to the phone call Teal'c gave us, but he neglected to tell us her name," Jack said as he passed her to Carter's waiting arms. He heard Sam shift in the bed, felt the air change as Teal'c moved closer to his wife and sat down on the bed. Daniel moved closer to him, his hand seeking Jack's.

"Danyela," Carter said, "her name is Danyela."

He heard Daniel's quick intake of breath, felt that hand in his tremble slightly. 

"She would not be here, but for you, DanielJackson," Teal'c was saying. 

Jack squeezed Daniel's hand, feeling blessed beyond measure for the man beside him. Daniel had fought hard and long to come back from the nightmare of his breakdown. Along with Mackenzie, Jack felt certain he was the only one who knew the horrors Daniel had suffered. Their lives had all been changed beyond measure. He and Teal'c served as trainers for the new recruits to the SGC, Daniel rarely went off-world, instead spending his time with translations and training teams on first contact, and Carter was happy spending her days doing whatever it was she did with the technology brought back from other worlds. 

Danyela let out a tiny cry, and Daniel's hand tightened in his. 

"I think we might want to give the new parents some time," Jack whispered in his ear.

"Huh..oh," Daniel said in understanding.

Jack followed him from the room, his hand on Daniel's elbow. When they walked a short distance away, Jack stopped. 

"Jack?"

"Nothing," Jack said but tugged on Daniel's arm, pulled him closer. "Just this." He cupped Daniel's face in his hands, kissed him full on the lips and Daniel leaned into Jack, his arms coming up in embrace. 

Not the journey Jack had planned but the detour had brought far more joys than he'd ever expected.


End file.
